Pokemon and Ponies … when Gaming and Glamour come together in a fresh pink GiGi gel polish called Friendship Forever.

Hi, my name is Chrissie and I’m addicted … to tracking down Pokemon with the new PokemonGo game, to collecting the adorable My Little Pony toys, my friends and family, and for anything pink and glamorous; so it is no surprise that I love that we created a GiGi colour that reflect these passions.

This resurgence in iconic games and pursuits from the 80’s and 90’s is one facet of an ongoing yearning for a gentler era when we created fantasy games, battled monsters, tucked our toys into little makeshift beds, rode bikes to each others houses and called up our best friends on the home phone. When friendship was prized above all else, and you and your bestie were a love and loyalty force to be reckoned with.

In these crazy busy days fraught with meetings, texts, and emails, sometimes we struggle to find time just to hang out with friends, and more and more people now have “phone free” catchups where the mobile is put away so that the friendship can flourish without interruption. Like the My Little Pony unicorn Twilight Sparkle in the tv show “Friendship is Magic” she unites with her friend Princess Celestia to learn about friendship in the town of Ponyville, and becomes close friends with five other ponies: Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Each pony represents a different facet of friendship, and Twilight discovers herself to be a key part of the magical links of friendship known as the “Elements of Harmony”. The ponies travel on adventures and help others around them while working out problems that arise in their own friendships.

And speaking of adventuring and helping each other out; just over a week ago PokemonGo was launched in Australia, America and Japan – a free mobile device app based on the 90’s Japanese Pokémon Red and Green Version games which allowed people of all ages to catch, train and trade 151 creatures and become a Pokémon Master in the comfort of their own homes. We now have the opportunity to capture, battle, and train these virtual creatures, whose name is a compilation of the words “pocket” and “monster”, as they appear throughout the real world via the use of GPS and camera compatible devices.

These little creatures are typically located at public art installations and galleries, historic buildings, memorials, murals, street art, public parks and fountains, places of worship, and other points of cultural significance that we may not know exist, let alone have visited. Can’t be a bad thing educating ourselves by walking around having fun, in fact, many animal shelters in the USA are offering dog walks to people who want to rack up the kilometres needed to “hatch” Pokemon eggs … wow … cultural engagement, exercise and caring for animals, seems this generation may be showing everyone how to get their priorities in order!

Perth has seen huge numbers of the three PokemonGo teams (Team Valour is Red, Team Mystic is Blue, and Team Instinct is Yellow) visiting Kings Park and creating a media sensation. People are divided in their opinions on the pros and cons of the game, and I’m not here to argue for any point of view. I am simply impressed by the attitude of so many young people, often derided as being selfish / only interested in themselves / glued to the computer screen, urging others to respect and look after the outdoor environment in which they are gathering Pokemon, friends, healthy exercise, team building skills, community spirit and a greater knowledge of historical or special places of interest in their own city. On the PokemonGo Facebook page a young girl requested that all players pick up any rubbish they see lying around in Kings Park “even if it’s not their own” because “we are really lucky to have such an amazing place to play PokemonGo”. The response was groups of people agreeing to take rubbish bags and collect litter wherever they go to play the game from now on. Another girl was talking about how some players are setting up “lures” ( an option within the game where high level players can set up a cyber ring of flower petals that attract Pokemon into the circle, making them easier to capture) outside Children’s Hospitals so that those kids unable to walk outside can still participate and collect the little creatures. Psychologists and social commentators are already lauding the positive mental health and physical benefits, and yes – the remerging strength of friendship that develops when you work towards a common cause, especially when fun is to be had!

The colour Friendship Forever was developed before PokemonGo was released,and originally grew from the long standing friendship between the three Glamour Owners and Directors Chrissie, Jani and Dane; it also reflected the pop of pink in the salon theming, pink as a favourite colour of the girls, Pinky Pie the Party Pony, and the pink of that cutie pokemon Jigglypuff.

And now as I race off to track down Jigglypuff, I find myself celebrating and honouring all friendship in any format that it appears, whether in real life or cyber life, and secretly hope that Glamour Nail Bar becomes a PokeStop so that all the cutest little pocket monsters come to hang out with us xxx lovesies xxx